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Off-season Motivation
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 2010-09-29 9:44 AM |
Veteran  254  |  Subject: Off-season MotivationJust finished my 2nd year of training. Last winter, I lazed around got fat and lost fitness. This year I actually want to keep the fitness and lose some more weight, but once again I'm losing motivation... More and more I'm losing the battle to the sirens (beer, TV , and sleeping late). I have a fall goal (to get speedy and break 20 in a 5k), but even that isn't getting me off the couch/out of bed. Any hints/ideas to help me out of the funk... Who wants my cell number so they can text me at 5 in the morning and berate me for still being in bed? ;-) -Andy |
| 2010-09-29 10:03 AM in reply to: #3123663 |
Extreme Veteran 747  Overlea/Fullerton Maryland | Subject: RE: Off-season Motivation Only thing that gets me motivated is the fear of pain and embarrassment at my next event. Call it ego. So I schedule and event early in the year that I have to train for. I have a HIM this weekend and then ill train for something else. This year its going to be a 50K HAT run in March. Better get running. |
| 2010-09-29 10:13 AM in reply to: #3123663 |
Master 1547 | Subject: RE: Off-season Motivation Move somewhere that doesn't have an off-season. |
| 2010-09-29 10:14 AM in reply to: #3123663 |
| Regular 110 Toronto | Subject: RE: Off-season Motivation For me, actual competition is what really motivates me. So, with that in mind, I am running a 10k race at the end of October (for me, that's huge - 6 months ago I couldn't run around the block!) and this winter I will race in the Keskinada Loppet which is a cross-country ski race in the Gatineaus (25 or 50km). Not sure where you're located, but if you have winter, I am sure you can find a cross-country ski race somewhere near you. Even though it's a different discipline, it will get you doing strength and cardio workouts, and for me the change of discipline makes it kinda fun. Then, I will sign up for a fairly early season race next year. Have fun!!! |
| 2010-09-29 10:24 AM in reply to: #3123663 |
 Bronze member | Subject: RE: Off-season Motivation Do you log workouts on the BT training log? |
| 2010-09-29 10:33 AM in reply to: #3123663 |
Extreme Veteran 424 Lockport, IL | Subject: RE: Off-season Motivation I've thrown my hat over the fence and have a 15K in early November. At about 12:01am, Jan 1, 2011 I'm registering for a sprint in late May. I've already registered for an Oly in June as well. Now I'm only wondering what to plan for in the fall of next year. Maybe another Oly? I'll probably register for the Shamrock Shuffle in March so I'll have something on my calendar. Long story short - +1 on scheduling some races to keep you motivated. |
| 2010-09-29 10:37 AM in reply to: #3123663 |
Pro 5892 , New Hampshire | Subject: RE: Off-season Motivation Here's what works for me. At the end of the season, I take a few weeks off where I allow myself to just be lazy... this can be as many as 4 weeks, really as long as I need it to be to get motivation back. Second thing I do is to always add something different. I grew up skiing, so this is one of my obvious additions, but lately, I've been very intrigued by snowshoe racing, so this is on my agenda for this year. Also, if you have a group of cyclist friends, why not get together once or a couple of times a week and do an indoor trainer session (Carmichael or Coach Troy DVD's are excellent start points, either to do the complete videos or to get ideas and build you own sessions). If some of the people are triathletes/duathletes, why not end the session with a short run to keep your bricks active also in the offseason |
| 2010-09-29 11:04 AM in reply to: #3123663 |
Master 1603 Connecticut | Subject: RE: Off-season Motivation Goals don't get me out the bike each day through the Winter, habit does. I don't go through an internal debate each day. It's way too much trouble and too much stress. I just set up a schedule and make it a routine. Sometimes motivation follows behavior and not the other way around. Edited to add... but there is definitely something to be said for planning "down time" each year when you step away from structured workouts Edited by dredwards 2010-09-29 11:06 AM |
| 2010-09-29 11:04 AM in reply to: #3123819 |
Extreme Veteran 374 Southeast Michigan | Subject: RE: Off-season Motivation I just completed my second tri season, though last year I only did 1 race at the end of the year. I think for me autumn is really going to be the time to re-charge mentally and not worry too much about motivation. I'll enjoy the fall weather and colors up in Michigan, spend more time with the wife and kids after spending so much of the spring and summer training, watch some football on TV, go back to lifting weights a little bit more, run a couple of times a week to keep some basic run fitness (but without glancing at my watch every mile), bike when weather allows and the mood strikes, and sign up for swimming at the local pool when I am no longer disgusted at my most recent swim performance. Basically I'll just take a break from the routine of thinking "I have to do x today and y tomorrow to be at point z for race j" to focus on other things for awhile. |
| 2010-09-29 11:09 AM in reply to: #3123663 |
Expert 2852 Pfafftown, NC | Subject: RE: Off-season Motivation I've never swam over 350yds crawl in my life. I've never ridden over 40mi. on the bike in a training ride. I'm running a HM this Sunday, and I'm contemplating signing up for an April HIM. Fear is a great motivator. |
| 2010-09-29 12:13 PM in reply to: #3123896 |
Member 146 | Subject: RE: Off-season Motivation nc452010 - 2010-09-29 11:09 AM I've never swam over 350yds crawl in my life. I've never ridden over 40mi. on the bike in a training ride. I'm running a HM this Sunday, and I'm contemplating signing up for an April HIM. Fear is a great motivator. Got me through my HIM training program. And my April HIM is going to get me through the winter.... |
| 2010-09-29 12:18 PM in reply to: #3123663 |
Pro 3705 Vestavia Hills | Subject: RE: Off-season Motivation To get yourself out of bed on a cold morning to train this winter just remember what the last 5 minutes of your last triathlon felt like ... how you want to change that. I'd find a Saturday morning group ride to join; there is accountability in numbers. |
| 2010-09-29 12:25 PM in reply to: #3123663 |
Expert 2852 Pfafftown, NC | Subject: RE: Off-season Motivation To get yourself out of bed on a cold morning to train this winter just remember what the last 5 minutes of your last triathlon felt like ... how you want to change that. I expect it to hurt just as bad. But, I hope to cover more ground! |
| 2010-09-29 12:34 PM in reply to: #3123663 |
Master 2356 Westlake Village , Ca. | Subject: RE: Off-season Motivation Winning next season. I have so many goals for next season....I gots plenty of fear brewing! |
| 2010-09-29 1:34 PM in reply to: #3123663 |
Regular 202 Everywhere | Subject: RE: Off-season Motivation all the above post have been great as i was going to ask the same question more or less. Thank you all once again Bt'ers for being there with answers motivation and good humor. |
| 2010-09-29 2:16 PM in reply to: #3123663 |
Veteran 361 North Carolina Foothills | Subject: RE: Off-season Motivation The number of posts on this subject amaze me. Do most people just train to race and not to remain healthy, fit and active year round. I guess I am just more motivated by staying at a healthy weight, keeping my cardiovascular system in shape and not being lazy then by training for something that is just a hobby. If I was a professional triathlete or cyclist, I could see taking an extended amount of time off since training to race is basically their job and they are training 25+ hours per week. But for the 99.9% of those who peruse this site, I would think allowing your weight and fitness to slip significantly during the triathlon off-season and then pretty much starting from scratch in the spring isn't very healthy at all ... akin to yoyo dieting which has proven to be very detrimental to one's health. Just sayin. |
| 2010-09-29 2:32 PM in reply to: #3123810 |
Pro 6191 | Subject: RE: Off-season Motivation robburkett - 2010-09-29 11:33 AM I've thrown my hat over the fence and have a 15K in early November. At about 12:01am, Jan 1, 2011 I'm registering for a sprint in late May. I've already registered for an Oly in June as well. Now I'm only wondering what to plan for in the fall of next year. Maybe another Oly? I'll probably register for the Shamrock Shuffle in March so I'll have something on my calendar. Long story short - +1 on scheduling some races to keep you motivated. I live in FL right now, so there's not REALLY an off season... but I'm trying to do a race a month to keep myself motivated training. Oct - Sprint Tri Nov - Oly Tri Dec - 5k Jan - Ragnar Relay Feb - Michelob Ultra Challenge at the Gasparilla Festival ...and so on  |
| 2010-09-29 2:38 PM in reply to: #3123663 |
Pro 4578 Vancouver, BC | Subject: RE: Off-season Motivation I'm not sure where you are, but your 5am may be even earlier for me, so no way am I signing up to send the text. I guess I get my off-season motivation from having no off season, or rather I just do another sport. For me, it's track racing. We have an indoor veldrome, so winter is the racing season here, so road cycling in the summer and track cycling in the winter with some overlap. For a lot of my friends it's snowshoe running or cross-country (skate or classic) ski racing. |
It could be easy for others to send me one though.| 2010-09-29 2:38 PM in reply to: #3124446 |
Master 1484 Sedona, AZ | Subject: RE: Off-season Motivation ratherbeswimming - 2010-09-29 12:32 PM I live in FL right now, so there's not REALLY an off season... but I'm trying to do a race a month to keep myself motivated training. Oct - Sprint Tri Nov - Oly Tri Dec - 5k Jan - Ragnar Relay Feb - Michelob Ultra Challenge at the Gasparilla Festival ...and so on No off-season here either. I still have 3 tris on my schedule and an organized century ride this year. Already looking at races next year. The Sedona Marathon is in Feb I think... Races keep me motivated, so I keep scheduling them. |
| 2010-09-29 2:42 PM in reply to: #3124405 |
Veteran 254 | Subject: RE: Off-season Motivation rventuri - 2010-09-29 3:16 PM The number of posts on this subject amaze me. Do most people just train to race and not to remain healthy, fit and active year round. I guess I am just more motivated by staying at a healthy weight, keeping my cardiovascular system in shape and not being lazy then by training for something that is just a hobby. If I was a professional triathlete or cyclist, I could see taking an extended amount of time off since training to race is basically their job and they are training 25+ hours per week. But for the 99.9% of those who peruse this site, I would think allowing your weight and fitness to slip significantly during the triathlon off-season and then pretty much starting from scratch in the spring isn't very healthy at all ... akin to yoyo dieting which has proven to be very detrimental to one's health. Just sayin. That's what I'm trying to avoid. I have a significant "off-season" up here in ME, with no races in the near future (other then some 5Ks) I tend to slack, skip workouts, sleep in (is it really sleeping in if it is still dark out?). I need ways to avoid that so I do, do the healthy thing... Another sport is on the horizon, but there is no snow just yet for XC skiing... I guess I just need to tough out the next 1.5 months until the snow comes down... -Andy PS for those of you without an off-season: I hate you... :-) |
| 2010-09-29 2:47 PM in reply to: #3124070 |
Expert 1322 Savannah | Subject: RE: Off-season Motivation tlr - 2010-09-29 1:13 PM nc452010 - 2010-09-29 11:09 AM I've never swam over 350yds crawl in my life. I've never ridden over 40mi. on the bike in a training ride. I'm running a HM this Sunday, and I'm contemplating signing up for an April HIM. Fear is a great motivator. Got me through my HIM training program. And my April HIM is going to get me through the winter.... ^^This^^ |
| 2010-09-29 2:55 PM in reply to: #3123663 |
Extreme Veteran 409 Tampa, FL | Subject: RE: Off-season Motivation I'm in Idaho and our season is pretty short! I've joined a masters group and I'm LOVING swimming right now. I can't run on my dumb foot yet, and I'm burned on cycling. So I'm doing a bunch of other stuff like playing basketball with some friends, playing tennis, raquetball, and of course skiing in the winter! So staying active, but not doing the s/b/r constantly. By spring I'll be ready to hit it hard again! |
| 2010-09-29 3:01 PM in reply to: #3124467 |
Veteran 361 North Carolina Foothills | Subject: RE: Off-season Motivation mrhighside - 2010-09-29 2:42 PM That's what I'm trying to avoid. I have a significant "off-season" up here in ME, with no races in the near future (other then some 5Ks) I tend to slack, skip workouts, sleep in (is it really sleeping in if it is still dark out?). I need ways to avoid that so I do, do the healthy thing... Another sport is on the horizon, but there is no snow just yet for XC skiing... I guess I just need to tough out the next 1.5 months until the snow comes down... -Andy PS for those of you without an off-season: I hate you... :-) Definitely a challenge for you in Maine. I live in NC, where we have a pretty mild winter (just a little snow/ice), but I am sure nothing like you endure each winter. Do you have a trainer or rollers? I do the majority of my cycling during the week on my trainer since it is usually dark when I go to work and come home. I still ride outside on weekends unless it is too dangerous due to snow or ice. Since all my swimming is indoors at the YMCA, doesn't matter the season. I love running during the winter, especially after a snowstorm. I basically will run outside regardless of the weather/temp. Fortunate that we have a few Duathlons here in the winter that I usually enter just to get the competitive juices flowing again. I guess I just enjoy running, swimming and riding my bike too much to let the weather/season be an excuse to not workout. There always seems to be options. Edited by rventuri 2010-09-29 3:02 PM |
| 2010-09-29 3:43 PM in reply to: #3123663 |
| Lafayette, CO | Subject: RE: Off-season Motivation Maybe you need to focus on something else for the shoulder season. Head out for some hikes on the weekends? Add in some weight training? Anything to lighten the s/b/r load and stay active. Personally, I have 2.5 weeks until my A race, a HM, then ski season could start any day following that. I'll continue to run all winter but with slightly less pressure. January will add plyometrics. |
| 2010-09-30 3:42 PM in reply to: #3123663 |
Member 24 | Subject: RE: Off-season Motivation I'm with you on the motivation in the off season. I just finished my first Half Ironman in Branson a week and a half ago and since then I have had no real want to workout. For me this is strange because for the last 2.5 years I have been on a routine but since my Half Ironman when I was told that I had to take a least a week off I've really had no drive to workout. I've done a few things but when I workout in the morning I've been getting to the afternoon and having these awful migraines and once I get off work I really don't want to workout. I guess I'm wondering is it bad that I have no drive a week and a half after my first half ironman to go workout. |
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